


you are my sweetest downfall

by finnsmoose



Category: Buzzfeed The Try Guys (Web Series)
Genre: 5+1 Things, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 11:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15387648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finnsmoose/pseuds/finnsmoose
Summary: Five times Zach and Eugene didn't actually plan on kissing, and one time theydefinitelydid.





	you are my sweetest downfall

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE, do not read if this is a story written about you. please don't pass it along to them, or share it with them. i'd much prefer living in a world where zach and eugene haven't read something i've written about them.
> 
> anyways, this here, is probably the fluffiest thing i've ever written. and i love it. it includes two of my favourite tropes - fake proposals, and fake relationship when someone is hitting on one of them.
> 
> please enjoy this, and leave a review if you like it! and hit me up on tumblr with messages or requests for stories you'd like to see. i'm @sandydiddy!

_1._

Their first kiss is forced on them, which doesn’t exactly scream romance.

He feels stupid, like he’s back in high school or something.

“Are we really playing Truth or Dare?” he asks, and Eugene just grins in response. He knows what’s coming – ‘you’re such a baby you won’t even play a simple game’ but he’s not nearly drunk enough to embarrass himself in front of all of his friends. The house is full of their old friends from Buzzfeed, and the friends they’ve made throughout all of their times in LA, celebrating the success of the channel, and _okay_ , he won’t be the party pooper at his own party, so he sits down on the floor beside Keith and Becky and waits for everyone else to join them.

It’s a little into the game before it’s finally Zach’s go. Ella’s eyes widen in excitement, and she knows way too much about him for him to play it safe and go with truth, so he shocks everyone in the circle by saying dare.

“Okay,” she says, although there’s still an evil glint in her eyes. “I dare you to kiss Eugene!”

“Really?” he asks, although it’s not heard over the laughter of the group. He turns to look at Eugene, to see if there’s a hint of annoyance in his friend’s eyes, but he’s met with a shrug.

Zach lets out a huff as he makes his way to Eugene, ignoring Keith’s constant commentary about how they’re _finally_ doing. He doesn’t want to know what that means. He brings his hands up to cup Eugene’s face, leaning the rest of the way in to press his lips against Eugene’s.

It’s not a life changing kiss, like he’s always expected kissing Eugene would be (and no, he does _not_ think of kissing Eugene often thank you very much) but he guesses that’s because they’re both very hyperaware of everyone watching them.

They pull away, and he makes his way back to where he started the party. Ella’s grinning at him, so Zach rolls his eyes, turning to Becky to ask her truth or dare.

 

 

 

 

 

_2._

The second time is definitely his fault.

“It was your idea to do the stupid video in the first place,” Eugene angrily whispers, as he’s reading the story they’ve chosen for the fanfiction recreation video they’re filming. _It’s perfect_ , Keith had said as he dropped the printed off story that he had just read. _The fans will love it_ , Ned had said in agreement, and then there was nothing else for Zach and Eugene to do but to agree to go along with it.

“I didn’t think we’d actually have to kiss,” he hisses back, because yeah – it wasn’t his greatest idea he realises, now that they’re moments away from filming it, but he knows how much the video means to some of their fans.

They don’t talk about it again, until it’s finally time to start filming. Zach’s got all his lines memorised, because he really needs to step up on his acting skills since Eugene is now an _actual_ movie star. Keith’s holding the camera, while Ned reads out the narration of the story.

“I never realised how truly beautiful you are,” Eugene says, and Zach acts out the shyness this written version of him is feeling. He thinks if Eugene said that to him in real life, he’d _own_ his beauty, but he’s not going to change something that’s already written with such love and compassion.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he shoots back. It’s weird speaking like this to one of his best friends, but he knows there’s practically millions of people out there that would happily switch places with him, so he gets on with the job at hand.

“Eugene inches closer to Zach, making the smaller man flush,” Ned calls out, and Zach doesn’t really know what to do with that, but his eyes meet Eugene’s and suddenly he wants to laugh at how ridiculous the situation is. He bites his lip to stop himself from laughing, which seems to work as Ned continues to read out the narration. “There’s barely any space between them, when Eugene asks…”

“Can I kiss you?” Eugene asks, and just like in the script, Zach doesn’t give an answer. He leans in, and kisses Eugene. It’s not as romantic as it’s supposed to be, going from what the script says, but it’s not the worst kiss he’s had. It’s a lot better than the kiss they had at the house party.

“And cut!” Keith shouts out, and they both instantly break away.

“Wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asks Eugene, who just shoves him in response.

 

 

 

 

 

_3._

Their third kiss is a joint effort, one that Ned scorns them for once they share the plan.

“Look, you’re just jealous because you never came up with the idea,” he argues, but the look in Ned’s eyes makes him change his mind.

“You’re both idiots,” Ned says, and Zach can see he’s trying his utmost best not to curse in front of little Wes. “Who fakes a proposal just to get some free cake? Actually, don’t answer it. I don’t want to know. Go ahead and do it, enjoy your free cake.”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do!” Eugene calls over his shoulder, already making his way out of the living room. He can see as Eugene bumps into Ariel, and he hears Eugene lose his dramatic essence, as he says “Ariel, always a pleasure.”

“I should go follow him,” he says to Ned, who only nods in response.

He’s afraid that they might change their minds, but neither do. In fact, the closer they get to the restaurant, they fight over who’s going to do the actual proposing. He thinks he should do it, because he’s the more romantic one out of the two. It’s no secret that Eugene is so anti-marriage that it seems like it would be a given.

Instead, Eugene just shifts in his seat, as he gives Zach a weird look. “But out of the two of us, you’re the one more likely to actually get married. You’ll get to do this with someone that you love.”

Zach doesn’t have a witty comeback for this. He turns the engine off, and stares ahead. He knows for heart to hearts like this, you need to actually communicate with the person you’re speaking to, but he doesn’t really know if he can look at Eugene right now. And the chances are extremely high that Eugene’s avoiding him too. “You really don’t think you’ll get married?”

“Who’d want to marry someone as messed up as I am?” Eugene asks, and there’s a weird nagging feeling at the back of Zach’s mind. He doesn’t think about it though, because he really wants to get inside and get this damn cake.

They don’t talk about what happened in the car during dinner, instead they talk of future plans and their friends lives, and anything and everything between. They ban talking about the channel or videos or subscribers, and it feels normal. He has to admit, it’s really nice. They don’t do things like this enough, and it’s a shame, because he’s enjoying getting to talk to Eugene like this outside of work.

And then, a few moments after their dinner plates are taken away by a waitress, Eugene places a hand over Zach’s. There’s a twinkle in his eyes, and Zach’s so much more excited for this then he expected he’d be.

“Zach Kornfeld,” he proclaims, loud enough for some of the waiting staff to hear, but not loud enough for it to be suspicious. Zach shoots him a confused look, playing the part perfectly, if he might say so himself. “You’ve been my best friend, and the love of my life for as long as I can remember. These last couple of years have been the happiest years of my life, and it’s because you’ve been by my side throughout them all. Say you’ll stay with me, for the rest of our lives.”

“Eugene,” he coos, his free hand going to his mouth. It’s incredibly romantic, and much better than anything he could have come up with. It makes his heart flutter just slightly, but that’s probably all the food he consumed beforehand.

Eugene pulls out the cheap $1 ring they had bought beforehand and let’s go of Zach’s hand so he can kneel down on the floor beside him. “Will you marry me?”

Zach waits just a moment, staring at Eugene like he’s trying to prove to himself this is real. And then:

“Yes!” he shouts out. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”

They both stand up and kiss, to tumulus applause from the rest of the guests in the restaurant. Zach doesn’t notice though, because this kiss is – well, it’s different. It’s a lot better than their two previous kisses. It’s softer this time, much more personal than the other kisses. He thinks it’s because they’re pretending to have been in love for such a long time.

But then again, isn’t that sort of true?

When they inch apart, a waitress is handing them a bottle of champagne and a plate with chocolate cake on it. It looks incredible, and Zach’s not sure why they haven’t thought of this sooner. They take a selfie with the cake and the champagne when the attention dies down to send to Ned, and they stay relatively quiet as they share their cake, stealing glances at one another when they don’t think the other notices.

They do, but they don’t talk about it. It’s sort of their thing.

 

 

 

 

 

_4._

The fourth time is an honest to god mistake.

He thought they were well and truly passed their kissing days, considering there was no more personal gain they could experience. Things go back to normal, he goes on many unsuccessful dates, and is cheered up by the other perpetually single Try Guy, and he finds his heartbreak never lasts long.

It’s one of those nights, where Zach heads straight back to Eugene’s once he realises that Eugene is still home. (If he thinks about it, he sometimes wonders if Eugene purposefully stays home just so Zach has somewhere to feel sorry about himself. He doesn’t say it aloud though, in fear of being kicked out. He’ll do anything to spend more time with Emma and Pesto, so he shuts his mouth.)

They’re watching a lousy Lifetime movie while they’re drinking together, although neither are fully taking in what’s happening on the TV. Someone’s been murdered, and Zach’s just given up on the plot, instead he’s making up his own with Eugene. When the next advert begins, Eugene drops the pretence of everything being okay.

“She wasn’t right for you,” he says, and Zach’s a little shocked. They’ve never passed the small talk about the date and going straight to the booze. “You can’t get disheartened Zach. You’re a catch, anyone would be lucky to have you. I mean it, you’re a great guy.”

Zach swallows thickly, nodding once and Eugene visibly relaxes, pulling him in for a side hug. The alcohol in his system is still buzzing, but it’s leaving a good feeling behind, contentment. Zach’s still resting his head on Eugene’s shoulder, and Eugene’s petting one of the dogs that’s now sat up on the sofa to join them.

“Thank you,” Zach hums. “I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime.” Zach swears he can hear a smile in Eugene’s voice.

Zach turns his head to ask Eugene something, just as the other man does the same thing. As a result, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Zach finds himself kissing Eugene again. Maybe it’s the alcohol, or simply just because it’s Eugene, but the touch sends a shiver up Zach’s spine. It’s only a small brush of lips, very quick-- but it had happened, and Zach didn’t even jerk back. Surprisingly, Eugene didn’t either.

“Sorry,” Zach whispers.

He can hear Eugene clear his throat. “It’s okay.”

They continue to sit in a comfortable silence, with only the sound of the movie playing before them masking the sound of the erratic beating of Zach’s heart in his chest.

 

 

 

 

 

_5._

The fifth time is definitely Eugene’s fault.

They’re sitting at a bar, the only ones left in their group to not leave at such an early time.

“Our friends are such losers,” Zach snorts, as he takes a sip of his drink. “They’re old, lame and married.”

“We don’t need to listen to Ned moan about missing his wife and his child all the time now,” Eugene points out. “It’s a blessing in disguise really.”

“I bet Keith’s taking him to every takeout on the way,” he jokes, although the thought of food isn’t all that bad right now. He could go for a really greasy burger, or some fried chicken right about now.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of leaving too,” Eugene says, and he’s a little weirded out at how easily Eugene can read him. “You’re just as boring as they are!”

“I’m not boring,” he fights back, swinging in his chair to face Eugene. “I’m a fucking excellent friend to have on a night out. You want to dance? I’ll dance right here, right now.”

Eugene laughs at this. “Slow down there, buddy. At least let me pee first before we dance.”

He watches Eugene get up from his seat and turns back to face the bar. He looks around, eyeing the crowd. It’s not too busy, but it’s not dead. He thinks it’s going to be a good night. Suddenly, he’s not alone anymore. He’s about to make a comment on how fast Eugene came back to him, when he turns to face a guy that is _definitely_ not Eugene.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing all alone?” he asks, inching in closer to Zach, and it’s really off-putting.

 “I’m not alone,” he says, trying to correct the man. “I’m with someone.”

“That man you were talking to earlier? He’s clearly a fool for leaving,” the man says, undeterred. “I wouldn’t leave someone so lovely alone. I’d take real good care of you.”

And yeah, there’s a hand on his thigh and he completely freezes because what the fuck is going on? But then, there’s someone standing behind him, and he does not look happy one bit.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Eugene asks, in a tone that Zach’s never heard before. He feels intimidated, and it’s not even directed to him.

“I’m just talking to your friend here, that’s all,” the sleezy guy says, sending a wink in Zach’s direction that makes him want to gag.

“ _Boy_ friend,” Eugene corrects him, and Zach straightens up in his chair at the sound of that, which makes it easier for Eugene to wrap an arm around him. “I’m going to go ahead and ask you _real_ nicely to get your goddamn hand off his fucking leg, or I’ll break it.”

Zach turns to look at Eugene to try and get him to calm down, and Eugene takes full advantage of the situation to press his lips against Zach’s. It feels like pure bliss, every part of his body that Eugene’s hands come into contact with feels like it’s on fire. Eugene’s kissing him with such passion, and it’s hard not to return the favour.

When they finally stop for air, they’re alone. He hadn’t even noticed the man letting go of him, he had been so consumed with kissing Eugene.

He clears his throat, as the realisation of what’s happened hangs in the air between them, and Eugene sits back down beside him. “Thanks.”

Eugene orders a round of shots, and they do what they do best – drink to forget.

 

 

 

 

 

_+1._

It’s no secret that Zach isn’t the best at cheering people up. He’s a good person, and he can read people’s emotions. However, he just doesn’t really get how to help lift someone’s mood. That’s Keith’s job, and he really wishes that Keith was here right now.

Instead, it’s just him and an upset Eugene. He’s not sure why Eugene’s like this, but he doesn’t like it one bit.

He sits down beside Eugene, and freezes. He opens his mouth, but no words come out. Which is great, honestly, because now he just feels useless. So he decides to say the first thing that comes to mind.

“Do you want to hear a joke?” he asks, as Pesto runs past his legs.

Eugene looks up at him, confused as hell, but shrugs in response.

It’s much better than what he expected, which makes him feel a lot better than the start of this situation. It can only go up from here, right? “What do you call a thieving crocodile?” 

Eugene stares at him with a blank expression. “What?”

“A crookodile!”

Eugene doesn’t even blink.

He’s clearly too sad to understand a good joke. “What did the watermelon say to the cantaloupe?”

Eugene’s brow furrows. “What?”

“You’re one in a melon!” he says, grinning brightly.

Again, there’s nothing.

“What do you call a fancy fish?”

“Zach I really want to be alone right now and –”

“I _said_ , what do you call a fancy fish?”

Eugene takes a tired breath. “What?”

He pauses for dramatic effect, and bumps Eugene’s shoulder, quirking his eyebrows. “Sofishtocated.”

It’s met with silence, until a giggle slips out of Eugene’s lips.

Zach grins, feeling accomplished. “You’re laughing!”

“No, I’m not,” Eugene says, as he ducks his head so Zach can’t see the smile on his lips.

“Yes you are!” he says triumphantly, because that was definitely laughter. He might not be great at cheering people up, but he’s _hilarious_ and there’s no denying that.

“I would never laugh at your stupid jokes,” Eugene argues.

“I’m sorry to break it to you buddy, but you just did,” he says, loving every moment of this small victory. “Just admit it, you think I’m hilarious.”

Eugene shakes his head. “No, I don’t.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

“You do.”

Eugene lets out an exasperated noise. “Okay, on very rare occasions, you can be a little humorous. Happy now?”

He’s about to say something in response, but he sees the light go from Eugene’s eyes again. “I get it if you don’t want to talk, but there’s clearly something on your mind. And I’m a good listener, so I’ve been told. I know that because I listened to them compliment me. I’d get five stars on Yelp for my listening skills. And – okay, this isn’t what I meant to say. I wanted to say that if you decide that you want to talk, I’m here. I always will be.”

He’s ruined it, he’s sure that he’s completely and utterly blown this by being his awkward self. But then Zach looks up, and, Eugene is staring at him, on the brink of saying something.

“It’s just,” Eugene begins, a troubled look on his face. It looks like it’s paining him to be so open. “I never had people around me who so openly cared about me like you guys do. And I thought it was something I was getting better at accepting, and at trying to reciprocate. I know I don’t go on huge rants about how much I love you guys – but it’s there. Our friendship is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Zach nods along to the words, patiently waiting for Eugene to continue. “And Zach, I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost that.”

“What makes you think you could lose it?” he asks, his voice gentle.

Eugene shuts his eyes, before he sits up, directly opposite Zach. “Have you ever been in love?”

Zach stops to think, trying to connect the dots in this scenario, but then he actually stops to think to answer the question at hand. He knows what it’s like to love someone, but to fall in love? He thinks that’s a new ballpark. He’s thought he’s fallen in love before, especially when he was growing up and navigating the dating world, but it never came close to the way that Ned speaks of Ariel or Keith of Becky, or the way he feels when he’s with –

He gets it, he thinks. The realisation that he’s in love with Eugene starts creeping up on him, and he wonders why he didn’t see it any sooner. It hadn’t always been like this, but he thinks it was destined to happen. How could it not? Eugene is an enigma, one that he’s always been drawn to.

“I think so,” he answers, finally, his throat dry. At first, he stares at Eugene – waiting for him to play the next move. Eugene’s better at this, they both know that. But then he realises, that maybe he needs to be the one who does this, because while this is fairly new ground for him, it must be terrifying for Eugene – the one who never lets himself truly feel things, in a twisted way of self-protection.

“There’s someone that I know – he’s brilliant. He’s _crazy_ , and he’s _stubborn_ , but he’s brilliant. He’s the kind of beautiful that makes me want to scream sometimes, because it’s so overpowering. It’s like – it’s like he’s got the stars bottled up in his eyes,” Zach says, with a shaky breath. He’s not the best with words when he needs to be, but he pushes through, when he sees a little life coming through Eugene’s eyes. “He’s the most fascinating person I know – I’ll never get tired of speaking to him. He helps me learn something new every time, and he makes me laugh until my sides hurt, and spending time with him is a luxury I never thought I’d ever be worthy of. But he thinks I am, somehow, and I’d like to spend the rest of my life trying to prove him right.”

Eugene leans forward, and Zach doesn’t think he’s able to breathe. “Please tell me you’re going to kiss me,” he says, terrified that maybe he’s read this whole situation wrong. But then, Eugene kisses him, and it’s like the whole world stops.

He wraps his arms around Eugene and Eugene’s hands are everywhere, poised on his waist, tangled fiercely in his hair and tugging and pulling and Zach is gasping for air, _fuck_ , pressing his mouth as hard as he possibly can to Eugene’s without losing the ability to breathe entirely, until they finally separate their mouths to let out a choked breath. He looks at Eugene, his face questioning and _so_ hopeful, and it’s honestly one of the most beautiful sights Zach thinks he’s ever seen.

“You _love_ me,” he says, grinning again, flushed and glorious and breathtakingly happy.

“Against my better judgement,” Eugene says, jokingly, but the smile on his lips matches Zach’s. he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Eugene so happy. The idea that he’s the reason behind it makes him so unbelievably pleased.

Zach kisses him again, and _again_ , and then tells him that he loves him, and Eugene smiles and says it back.

And this, _this_ is where their friendship has been leading the whole time. He loves Eugene, and he wishes he could have realised before. But it doesn’t matter in the end, because Eugene loves him back and that’s more than he could have ever dreamed of. When Eugene kisses him again, Zach swears that from this moment on, his whole life will be a dedication of love for Eugene.

Zach can feel the world settling down around him, as if everything is finally the way it’s supposed to be.


End file.
